Game-board.



W. E. UHF-LAND.

GAME BOARD.

APPLIUA'IIOH rum) D110. 22. 1908.

Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

m R. K E M N R E O VU T N T E /A F W a W v. w B

WALTER E. UHRLAND, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

GAME-BOARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 22, 1908.

Patented April 20, 1909.

Serial No. 468,743.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I ,WALTER E. UHRLAND, citizen of the United States,residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new anduseful lm rovements in Game- Boards, of which the fo owing is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention has relation to improvements in game-boards," and itconsists in the novel details of construction more fully set forth inthe specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention; andFig. 2 1s a vertical longitudinal section taken through the hinged armor bat by which the play-ball is struck.

The object of the present invention is to construct a ame-board in whichan imitation base-bal game can be played iii-doors, the same conformingin details as near to the natural game as is possible with anyartificial or substitute means restricted to a limited s ace.

A furt er object is to provide a board on which the game may be playedby two, four or any even number of ersons; one in which chips or disksare emplbyed to indicate the runners or batters, and one possessin otherfeatures of construction the purpose 0 which will be best apparent froma detailed descri tion of the invention which is as follows:

eferring to the drawings, B. represents a board or platform having amarginal circumscribing ledge or wall 1, along two sides of which areformed in the board a row of twenty depressions or pockets 2 the cornerpocket being counted as belonging to either row. On the wall 1 over thelast or outer three ockets of each row is marked the word Fou theremaining designations starting with the left hand end of the series,being marked over the successive pockets as follows23B Q,O,2B,HR O 1SB,O,1B,O, 2B,O,]l3 O,1B,0,1B,0,0,2B,1B o, O1SB,1B,(),1B,(),1B,3B,O1SB,1B,O,1B,O,HR.

From the inner of each set of foul pockets and disposed arallel to therespective sides of the board (which is preferably square) are lines aa, which meet at a point at which the batter or striker is supposed tobe stationed as resentl to be explained. Leading from eacli of the inesa c, at suitable distances from the ends thereof, and drawn at rightangles thereto are lines I) b which intersect or meet at whatconstitutes the second base ocket 2 B, the meeting points of the linesli b with the lines a (1, indicating the positions of the first baseocket 1 B, and the third-base pocket 3 fourth base bein without a pocketsince the bat plays over t is base as presentl to appear. Between thelines I) and t e adjacent sides of the board, are conveniently markedoff by lines at x, y y as shown, outer sections or areal divisions S, O,O, S O, O, S, immediately adjacent to the ockets 2, and an inner seriesof divisions (l S S, 0 located adjacent to the diamond formed by thelines a a. b b. Along the lines a: m, are marked off the ri ht fieldpocket R F, and left field ocket LT, respectively, the centerfield pocat C F, being at the point of intersection of the lines a: m. Betweenthe second and third base pockets on one of the lines I) is theshort-stop pocket S S, and at the corner of the board behind the strikeris the catchers pocket C. The lines I) b with the lines a a mark off asquare which is divided by the diagonal play-ball line d into twosections marked each with the letter O. The designations S and 0 meanrespectively safe and out and will be presently referred to.

Mounted ad'acent to the corner or point of intersection o the lines a ais a bearin or block 3 provided with a pin 4 about whic is free tooscillate the arm or bat 5, the free end thereof being provided with alateral offset or head 6, which as it swee s along the board, leaves aspace between t e arm and the surface of the board, for the free assageor rolling therethrough of the half or marble m used in the game. Therunners representing the players on opposite sides are indicated bychips or disks n colored on one side in the present illustration red theopposite side of the chip being without any s ecial color or leftuncolored. The designations O, S, 1 B, 2 B, 3 B, H R, O 1 S B, meanrespectivel T out, "safe, 1 base hit, 2 base hit, 3 base hit, home run,"out on first basesteal a base.

To play the game an intimate knowledge of out-door base-ball is notabsolutely necessary, an understandin of the main terms employed beingsufficient. With the explanation of the meaning of the designationsalready given, the operation of the device as shown, the

may be described as follows: Sup ose two ersons are playing the game,and t e runner identified by the red chips is at the hat. The pitcher(the op osite player) rolls the ball or marble along t e play-line fromsecond base toward the base occupied by the striker or runner who withhis hand swings the bat or arm 5 toward the right or across the base(this being at the intersection of the lines a a). If he strikes theball thus rolling toward him and b the impact drives the ball say intoone o the ockets 2 identified by the designation 1 1% that means that hehas made one base hit or a run to the first base, and accordingly a redchip is placed at the first base pocket 1 B. If he fails to strike theball and the latter rolls under the arm 5 (through the space formed byreason of the offset or head 6) that is counted as one ball, and shouldfour such failures follow successivel so as to result in four balls, itwould entit e the runner to make a base. Of course the failure to strikea ball is due to the failure of the pitcher or person rollin the ball topitch it over the base across whic the head 6 of the bat sweeps, andcorres onds to the failure of a itcher in an actua out of door game topitc the ball over the plate, when, upon four such successive failuresthe striker is entitled to his base. Assuming a striker at the firstbase, a fact indicated by placing a red chip at such base, and assumingthat on the next rolling of the ball the striker at the bat likewisesends the ball into a pocket marked 1 B. This will entitle such secondstriker to first base, and the previous striker to a base, or to secondbase, a fact indicated by moving the chip which was at first base tosecond base, and placing a fresh chip at the first base. Again sup ose astriker should send the ball into a poc et marked 3 B; this wouldentitle him to three bases, and if on the next strike he made a one-basehit, the chip on the third base would be called in and a complete runwould be indicated for this chip, a second chip being placed at thefirst base pocket 1 B to indicate the making of a base it A ain shouldthe batter drive the ball intoa oui ocket,eachfoulwouldcounta strikeagainst h1m,for the first two fouls 'ust as it does in the natural game.If the atter drives a ball into a pocket marked H R, it entitles him toa home run; if he sends it into a pocket marked 0 1 S B, it means he isout on rst base, but that the man (or chip) at the first base steals thenext or second base, or that a man at any given base steals the nextfollowing base. Again, suppose the striker drives a ball into a pocketon the board marked R F, it means that the man in the right field hascaught the ball and the striker is out; if the ball lands in ocket C F,it means the man at center field as can ht the ball, and the striker isout, and so on t rough the remaining pockets in the field, including thecatchers )ocket behind the bat marked meaning t at the catcher has cauht a foul and the striker is out. Again, shou d the ball roll beyond thediamond into one of the field s aces marked 0, the striker is out,meaning t 'iat one of the field men caught the ball; if it lands in oneof the divisions marked S, he is safe" indicating that none of the fieldmen caught the ball. The diamond above referred to is the space betweenthe four bases, bounded by the intersecting lines a a b b.

It will be seen from the foregoing that almost every phase of thenatural game may be imitated. Of course not all, but enough to make theparlor game interestin Two persons may play it as described, t e playerat the bat continuing until all the chips colored to represent his sideare exhausted in either making their bases, or are counted out accordingto where they land on the board after impact. Thereu on the opponenttakes the bat and the first atter does the rolling of the ball m,utilizing a set of different colored chips, or he may use the same chipswhich are colored differently on their opposite faces. Of course if fourpersons play, then two take one side and two the opposite side asobvious. The ball should always be rolled along the playline (1,otherwise it is apt to pass behind the head 6 under the arm 5, and countagainst the roller or itcher who, if he rolls four such balls entltlesthe striker or batter to a base run.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

1. A base-ball game-board com rising a four sided platform having a bouning wall or ledge extending above the face of the platform, a diamondmarked off on the platform with sides parallel to the edges of theplatform, ockets formed at the first, second and third bases of thediamond, a series of pockets formed along two sides of the wallrespectively arallel to the lines connecting the first an second basepockets, and second and third base pockets, the said wall bearing marksop osite the respective contiguous pockets desi nating the result of agiven stri e of the bal projected into the pocket, an arm pivoted tosweep over the latform and having a terminal lateral head bearingagainst the platform and s acin the arm a suitable distance from the ace0 the platform for the free passage of the ball therethrough, the boardbeing rovided outside of the diamond with poc ets properly designatinand defining the ositions of the center fielci left field, ri ht fiel d,and pockets defining the position 0 the short-stop and catcher,substantially as set forth.

2. A base-ball game-board having a diamond marked thereon, a contiguousseries of divisions representing safe and out positions for the ball, anouter series of similar divisions contiguous to the first set ofdivisions, two outer rows of pockets disposed along correspondingcontiguous sides of the board, and wells projecting above the boardadjacent to the pockets and bearing inscri tions designating the resultof a given stri e of the ball rojected into the pocket, the Foul poo etsbeing positioned adjacent but exterior to, an extension of the outerbounding sides of the diamond.

In testimony whereof I uffix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER E. UHRLAN D. Witnesses:

EMIL STAREK, T. EVANS.

